A character-based internal classification of theCariban language family
Sergio Meira, Joshua Birchall & Natalia Chousou-Polydouri
Museu Paraense Emılio Goeldi - Ciencias HumanasCNRS - Dynamique du Langage
Societas Linguistica Europaea - 48th Annual MeetingLeiden, September 4th, 2015
The Cariban language family
One of the largest in South America
25-45 varieties
Many of them extinct
Most languages spoken in northern Amazonia
Sergio Meira, Joshua Birchall & Natalia Chousou-Polydouri A character-based internal classification of the Cariban family
The Cariban language family
Sergio Meira, Joshua Birchall & Natalia Chousou-Polydouri A character-based internal classification of the Cariban family
Previous classification
Based on Gildea’s (2012) “somewhat speculative” classification*
Parukotoan : Katxuyana, Waiwai, Hixkaryana
Pekodian : Bakairi, Arara, Ikpeng
Venezuelan : Pemong, Panare, Mapoyo, Kumana, Tamanaku,Yawarana, Pemono, Chayma, Cumanagoto
Nahukwa : Upper Xingu Carib
Guianan : Kari’nja, Dekwana, Taranoan (Tiriyo, Akuriyo,Karihona), Wayana
Unclassified: Apalai , Waimiri , Yukpa
*Order of clades in list reflect Gildea’s confidence in their existence
Sergio Meira, Joshua Birchall & Natalia Chousou-Polydouri A character-based internal classification of the Cariban family
Major dialect clusters
Pemong-Kapong: Makushi, Arekuna, Akawaio, Pemong, Tau-repang, Patamona, Ingariko, Kamarakoto
Upper Xingu Carib: Kuikuro, Kalapalo, Matipu, Nahukwa
Sergio Meira, Joshua Birchall & Natalia Chousou-Polydouri A character-based internal classification of the Cariban family
Some problems
Little agreement of higher-order branches
Only consensus on Parukotoan, Nahukwa, Pekodian
Even Parukotoan is shallow (borderline language/dialects)
Guianan is often recognized, but varies between authors
No classification by strict application of the Comparative Method
Conflicting theories on migration routes and homelands
Venezuelan homeland, multiple southern and westernmigrations (Durbin 1977, Meira & Franchetto 2005)
Southern homeland, single early northern migration(Rodrigues 1985)
Sergio Meira, Joshua Birchall & Natalia Chousou-Polydouri A character-based internal classification of the Cariban family
Some questions
Validity of clades proposed in Gildea(2012)
Ordering of splits among the main clades
Principal direction of migration
Number of independent migrations
Sergio Meira, Joshua Birchall & Natalia Chousou-Polydouri A character-based internal classification of the Cariban family
Coding Method (Gray & Atkinson 2003)
Swadesh list of 100 meanings with some adjustments
collapse redundancies: fly/swim/go, bark/skin, rain/watersubstitute jaguar for dogsingle value per meaning per language
Cognate sets within each meaning (form-meaning sets)
no semantic shiftcognacy judged on similarity and known sound correspondencesbinary coding (presence/absence)? assigned when the meaning was not found in sources
748 form-meaning sets
Sergio Meira, Joshua Birchall & Natalia Chousou-Polydouri A character-based internal classification of the Cariban family
Distance-based methods - NeighborNet
Tiriyo
Apalai
Wayana
KatxuyanaWaiwai
HixkaryanaDekwana
MapoyoYawarana
Panare
TamanakuChayma
CumanagotoWayumara
Purukoto
MakushiTaurepang
ArekunaAkawaioPatamuna
Bakairi
AraraIkpeng
KuhikuguSapara
Opon-Carare
Yukpa
Waimiri
KarinaVen
KarihonaAkuriyo
Pemon
Pemono
KarinaSur
Delta score = 0.381 s.d. = 0.034
Outliers:Panare 0.441Sapara 0.429Wayumara 0.428Opon-Carare 0.420
Sergio Meira, Joshua Birchall & Natalia Chousou-Polydouri A character-based internal classification of the Cariban family
Bayesian phylogenetic inference
Posterior probability
The a posteriori beliefs about a model given (a) our a priori beliefsabout the model and (b) our observed data
model of character evolution: potentially asymmetric (cognateloss easier than cognate gain)
relaxed clock: rate of evolution able to vary between branches
Sergio Meira, Joshua Birchall & Natalia Chousou-Polydouri A character-based internal classification of the Cariban family
Calibrations
Tip dates
The year the data was collected, using 2010 as “today”
Tamanaku: 240 years—published by Gilij in 1780, data fromhis 20-year stay among the Tamanku beginning around 1750
Opon-Carare: 50 years—published in 1958, data from afield trip about 3 years prior
Sapara, Wayumara, Parukoto: 100 years—fromKoch-Grunberg’s 1910 trip from Roraima to Orinoco
Sergio Meira, Joshua Birchall & Natalia Chousou-Polydouri A character-based internal classification of the Cariban family
MCC tree - Clade colors according to Gildea (2012)
Pemon
OponCarare
Arara
Karihona
Tamanaku
Wayana
Waimiri
Kuikuro
Waiwai
KarinaVen
Bakairi
Chayma
Yukpa
Patamuna
Wayumara
Hixkaryana
MapoyoYawarana
Purukoto
Cumanagoto
Dekwana
KarinaSur
Panare
Apalai
Taurepang
Akuriyo
AkawaioArekuna
Tiriyo
Ikpeng
Katxuyana
Pemono
Makushi
Sapara
1
0.39
0.46
1
0.59
1 0.94
1
1
0.13
0.98
0.62
0.75
0.37
0.53
0.59
0.6
1
0.63
0.26
0.35
0.97
1
0.99
1
0.96
1
0.4 0.541
0.56
0.87
1
Sergio Meira, Joshua Birchall & Natalia Chousou-Polydouri A character-based internal classification of the Cariban family
Summary of results
Clear identification of the most solid clades:
Parukotoan (1.00): Hixkaryana, WaiWai, Katxuyana
Pekodian (0.98): Ikpeng, Arara, Bakairi
No support for:
Clear Venezuelan branch
Panare as a sister to the Pemongan group
New suggested clades:
Wayumara + Purukoto (0.87)
Wayana + Apalai (0.96) (may be driven by lexical borrowing)
Guianan: Taranoan + Wayana-Apalai (1.00)
Sergio Meira, Joshua Birchall & Natalia Chousou-Polydouri A character-based internal classification of the Cariban family
Conservative classification (> 0.75)
Sapa
raAr
ara
Ikpe
ngBa
kairi
Kuhi
kugu
Pem
onTa
urep
ang
Akaw
aio
Arek
una
Pata
mun
aM
akus
hiW
ayum
ara
Puru
koto
Hix
kary
ana
Wai
wai
Katx
uyan
aC
haym
aC
uman
agot
oTa
man
aku
Pem
ono
Map
oyo
Yaw
aran
aPa
nare
Dek
wan
aTi
riyo
Akur
iyo
Karih
ona
Way
ana
Apal
aiKa
rinaV
enKa
rinaS
urW
aim
iriYu
kpa
Opo
n-C
arar
e
Nuclear Cariban
Peko
dian
Pemongan
Way
umar
an
Paru
koto
an
Kum
anan
Map
oyan
Gui
anan
Tara
noan
Sergio Meira, Joshua Birchall & Natalia Chousou-Polydouri A character-based internal classification of the Cariban family
Migration and Homeland
No evidence for northern migration
Two southern migrations (Pekodian and Nahukwa)
Cariban homeland north of the Amazon
Sergio Meira, Joshua Birchall & Natalia Chousou-Polydouri A character-based internal classification of the Cariban family
Future directions
Analyze dataset using etymologically-based cognate sets
Add more calibration points from archaeological data
Expand lexical dataset with more meanings
Analyze phonological characters (correspondence sets)
Sergio Meira, Joshua Birchall & Natalia Chousou-Polydouri A character-based internal classification of the Cariban family
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